The Marine Industry CSI Awards program honors participating manufacturers that actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve the customer. Award recipients achieved and maintained an independently-measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine during the period between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Participating manufacturers must survey all new boat buyers during this period.

“We are extremely proud to receive this award two years in a row, but the real reward, for us, is the strong customer relationships and brand loyalty we enjoy,” explains Mike Sanchez, Malibu Boats Customer Service and Warranty Director. “We have a great team in place who pride themselves on serving the customer completely. They make this possible.”

“As we work to strengthen our industry, customer satisfaction and retention will always be our foundation for growth,” said NMMA president Thom Dammrich. “This year’s Marine Industry CSI Award recipients are at the forefront of our industry’s growth potential and are helping ensure the experience of purchasing and owning a boat add value to the overall enjoyment of the boating lifestyle.”

NMMA launched its CSI program in 2001 to provide boat and engine manufacturers with an independently-measured, cost-effective means of improving customer satisfaction in the boating industry. Since the program’s inception, more than 600,000 surveys have been sent out to new boat and engine customers, allowing participating manufacturers to monitor customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis, and to benchmark themselves against the industry and their competitors. There were a total of 105 boat and engine brands that participated in the 2009 program.

Team Malibu Pro Female Wakeboarder, Dallas Friday, won gold at the 8th World Games, July 23-26, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. World Champion, Friday, was severely injured at this same competition a couple of years ago, yet she continues to return to the scene and capture gold!

Northwest Rider and great Malibu Boats friend, Brett van den Heuvel (Brett V.), sent us an e-mail last week when he read Yachting Forum's article on the Oceanco 248’/75m "Anastasia". "Yachting's New Grand Duchess!" as the article's author Capt. Chuck Gnaegy refers to her was built in the Netherlands and is an amazing vessel. But as sweet as this big ocean-goer is, the cargo may have peaked Brett's interest more than the Yacht itself.

Monday, July 27, 2009

The 3rd Annual Malibu Pro Team Challenge wakeboard competition is returning to the Pacific Northwest. The three-part competition will feature some of the top pro riders in the world riding for their prospective board manufacturers, a chance to add their names to the Malibu Cup PTC trophy and bragging rights as the best team in wakeboarding for the next 12 months.

The Pro Team Challenge will take place on Sunday, August 2nd at the Bow Lake Watersports Complex in Bow, WA., just North of Seattle. At Bow Lake, riders will enjoy great water conditions in one of the top private water sports facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Currently three pro teams are scheduled to compete including two-time defending Champions, Team Hyperlite and Teams from CWB and Liquid Force, trying and de-throne the Champs.

Malibu Boats Team and Event Director, Lani Farmer and Malibu Boats Marketing Manager, Amy Mauzy, are leaving their factory posts in California to travel to Wake Jam in Portland and then to the Malibu Pro Team Challenge Event in Seattle this weekend (July 31 - August 2). Two ladies having fun and representing the Malibu Family in the Northwest. That's why they named it the "Malibu Broad Trip". They'll be tweeting, facebooking, blogging, flickring and vlogging the whole time. Whether they're boarding the plane, meeting boat owners, talking to pro athletes before their runs or chillaxing at the after parties, they'll be posting their experiences online. Stay tuned!!! With these two Malibu Boats peeps out and about we're guaranteed to hear and see some funny moments.

Oh and if you want to make any special requests while the Malibu "Broads" are on their trip leave a comment on this blog post or tweet that information to them on Twitter @malibuboats. Got a question for a specific rider or want them to capture a special photo or video. Just let them know.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

A dear friend of Malibu Boats was injured in a motorcycle accident on the 4th of July. Brandon Robbins, a Northwest Riders and Malibu through and through, was seriously injured earlier this month and Malibu Family has been praying for his recovery. Well those prays are being answered.

He was super alert and his attitude was amazing. Positive, smiling and laughing at times, and the same old B-Rob we know and love. He may even be released much sooner than expected. That’s not to say he doesn't still have a long recovery ahead…but knowing him he will turn long into much shorter than expected. Brandon did end up having his right foot amputated. This means he has some learning coming up with a new prosthetic. I know he will be back on the water and the mountain in no time as he told me just that! Please keep praying for his healing and recovery.

Brandon will have medical costs through out his recovery process and Malibu Boats Dealer Bakes Marine has setup a donation fund to help. If you would like to donate to the fund, please visit www.bakesmarine.com/Brandon.

Here's a Fav Pic submission we received for August. We came across this sweet shot in one of the Malibu Boats facebook friend's albums. Amy and Chad Gordon took this shot on the maiden voyage of their new 08 Malibu Boats Wakesetter VTX. They were spending the 4th of July at Kerr Lake in North Carolina.

According to Amy's e-mail, "We literally picked it up Wednesday night and left Friday morning for 10 days at Kerr Lake." Amy continued, "Cause who can be at the lake for 10 days without a Malibu?"

Amy took this photo when the fog rolled in one morning during their vacation on Kerr Lake. The fog cut Chad's morning wakeboard set short, but it did make for a pretty sweet photo.

Thank you for submitting this picture, Amy! It's beautiful! We will add it to the photos we are choosing from for the Malibu Boats favorite pic for the month of August.

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo let us know. We would love to post it here as well as on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter. E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

We received this e-mail from Chris Ritthaler, Marine Vet and UC Davis Ski Team Member, last week and thought it was more than worthy of a blog post.

My name is Chris Ritthaler and I am on the UC Davis Collegiate Waterski and Wakeboard team. I am also a former Marine Corps Sergeant. I have 2 combat tours in Iraq as well as one in Cuba and Chile. Before joining the Marine Corps I had been a track and field athlete and had planned on running in college when my enlistment was up. Towards the end however, I hurt my ankle pretty bad in a training accident and could no longer run competitively. When I began attending school at UC Davis I was introduced to the ski team through a friend of mine who was an alum. I am now an officer for the team and skiing has given me a chance to go out and compete in a sport that I love. The team has had a Malibu since at least 2001 (that was the year of our old Response) and our team recently acquired a 2008 Response Lxi. I have skied behind most of the other AWSA approved tow boats in competitions, but in my mind nothing is as good as our Malibu. Basically I would like to thank Malibu for making a boat that, for me, is inseparable from one of the most positive things in my life (skiing) and I know that someday when I'm out of school and can afford to actually get a boat of my own, it will without a doubt be a Malibu.

We can't tell you how much a message like this means to us, Chris. We are thankful for groups like the UCD Ski Team and the positive outlet they have allow you and others who benefit from their group. We are also thankful for individuals like yourself who fought and are fighting for our country. We are proud that you ski behind a Malibu boat and we look forward to having you as a part of our family for years to come. Thank you.

1. How did you become pro? I guess just riding and being in the right place at the right time. Hanging out with Byerly and those guys. I was wakeboarding at the time, and I did a few pro events and made a little money doing that, but that's about the time I started wakeskating too, and I wanted to see where it took me, and that's when I started hanging out with Byerly and he helped me out a lot along the way.

2. What made you switch over from wakeboarding to wakeskating? Probably the biggest thing was riding at the cable park and hitting rails. We'd seen it in the mags growing up, but I only really started hitting rails when I went to the cable park. That's when I really started to fall in love with the sport and I really wanted to start pushing it to the next level.

3. What was your favorite trick when you first turned pro, and what's your favorite now? My first trick that I really got consistent and thought was a hard trick was probably the toeside shove indy. My favorite trick now is a wake-to-wake backside big spin.

4. Who is your favorite rider and why? My favorite rider is Scott Byerly. I watched him growing up since I was really little and then being able to meet him and ride with him and become really good friends with him over the years is really cool. And even to this day he's still ripping. He hasn't lost it a bit.

5. What is the hardest thing about being a professional wakeskater? Probably all the travel, but that's also the best thing. We get to go all over the world and do all these crazy trips just because we're riding our boards. We're away from home a lot and it takes its toll, but it's definitely worth it.

6. What would you be doing if you weren't a pro wakeskater? Oh man I don't even know. I went to college and got a degree, but I haven't had any desire to use it at all. Liberal Studies from UCF; it's pretty much an undecided degree. I'd be living in Orlando, though, and doing something.

7. What is your biggest goal to accomplish this year? This year I really want to win Worlds. I haven't won it for a couple years — or actually about five years — and I really want to win it this year. I've been second for a lot of years, but I really want to win it one more time and I think this will be my year.

12. What's one thing you couldn't live without on a daily basis? I like riding everyday, so maybe my Malibu.

18. What's your favorite way to ride? PWC, cable, boat? I like riding behind my Malibu VLX the best. I like going big. I like hitting double ups and hitting big wakes with long ropes. The higher you can go the better. I like hitting rails and stuff too, but if I had to pick one thing to do exclusively, it would be riding behind the boat.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The 11th annual AWS (Active Water Sports) Freeriders Ball presented by Malibu Boats will take place August 8 & 9, 2009 at Koppert Lake in Toledo, WA. This is the biggest and best grassroots wakeboard and wakeskate event in the Northwest and possibly the world! With a cash purse for the pro divisions and prizes from Hyperlite, Rockstar, Spy, and Oneill, for the amateurs, this year’s event will be better than ever!

Saturday’s festivities will include competitive amateur divisions for all ages and ability levels. Prizes will be handed out to the top three in each category. All competitors, families and spectators are encouraged to camp out Saturday night, AWS will be playing the newest wake videos on the big screen, and the day’s competition will make for great campfire stories!

Sunday will include pro divisions in wakeboard freeride, rails, and wakeskate. The best wakers in the Northwest will battle it out for a cash purse and some serious bragging rights. The best freeriders in the Northwest will be crowned.

On a small lake in Northern Wisconsin, Mark Reichle and his son Alex took off for a spur-of-the-moment 4-day Malibu boating get-a-way. Mark e-mailed us some photos from their trip and we posted them on the Malibu Boats flickr Channel.

The photos included a shot of their '07 Sunscape 21 LSV at the end of the dock at Mark's aunt and uncle's place on this 120 acre lake. Mark also sent another shot of his '07 Sunscape 21 LSV at the end of the dock as the sun went down. Beautiful! But Mark's favorite photo has to be the one he and Alex took with barefooting super star, Keith St. Onge!

"We met and had drinks with the barefoot world record holder, Keith St. Onge. He was practicing on our lake for the upcoming world competition!" Mark emailed us.

Thank you for sharing these great images with Malibu Boats, Mark! Looks like you had a great time and we're excited to have been a part of it in the form of your 21 LSV. Keep having fun!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo let us know. We would love to post it here as well as on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter. E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The World’s top water skiers and jumpers will gather in Abbotsford, British Columbia September 18 – 19, 2009 to lean towards greatness behind a Malibu Response LXi. The Fraser Valley Water Ski Club is offering their man-made lake in Albert Dyck Park as the springboard to World Records. With this unique facility and the right water conditions, anything can happen. Join FVWSC, Pro Slalom Events LLC and Malibu Boats for an excellent couple days of Pro slalom skiing and jumping in the water ski capitol of Canada.

Top Men’s Professional Slalom Skiers slated to attend the last stop on the Pro Water Ski Tour include World Champion Team Malibu Skier Will Asher, World Record holder Chris Parrish, Jamie Beauchesne and a large field of international competitors. The Slalom portion of this event will consist of 2 record-capable qualifying rounds. The top 8 will emerge from qualifying to participate in an exciting head to head final. Qualifying will take place on Friday, September 18, 2009 with the finals following on Saturday the 19th at 1:30pm.

The high-flying Professional Men’s Extreme Jumpers showing up in Abbotsford will include Freddy Krueger, Jaret Llewellyn, Ryan Dodd and more. The best in the World will be present to hurl themselves toward the World Record and to a top podium finish. Krueger currently holds the world record with an unbelievable 247 ft. mark. The first round of Jump qualifying will commence on Friday, September 18, 2009 in the afternoon, followed by the second round on Saturday morning. Finals will take place Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm and be conducted in a new and exciting head to head format.

Lani Farmer, Malibu Boats Team and Event Director, commented on Malibu Boats support of the 2009 Pro Ski Tour. “Our support of water sports is not dictated by simple trend. Events like the Pro Ski Tour give us the ability to help promote the passions and lifestyle of our diverse group of owners.” Farmer continued, “This is why we chose to title sponsor the Pro Ski Tour.”

Pro Slalom Events, LLC’s goal is to bring water skiing back to the national spotlight giving spectacular athletes a stage to perform on. Founded by Dana Reed, Pro Slalom Events, recreated the Pro Water Ski Tour for the 2008 season, which became an immediate success. In 2009 Pro Slalom Events are continuing the 2008 momentum supporting events in North Carolina, Michigan and the Abbotsford, BC stop.

Reed had this to say about the Pro Ski Tour and its new relationship with Malibu Boats. “We are excited Malibu Boats shares our passion and enthusiasm for water skiing enough to support the amazing display of record-capable Slalom and Jump talent that we are sure to see in Abbotsford.” Reed continued, “We can’t wait for the event!”

Abbotsford has one of the only dedicated water ski venues in Canada; therefore, it has a long history of hosting amazing events. Albert Dyck Park is a unique facility with a man-made lake that hosts many local, provincial, national and international championships every year. The Fraser Valley Water Ski Club is continuously working to foster the development of new and existing athletes. FVWSC is committed to providing opportunities through the hosting of these types of tournaments.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Malibu Boats Pro Team Rider and 2008 Tour Champion Phillip Soven, took his first Pro Tour stop of the 2009 season Sunday in Kentucky. In the finals Soven battled it out against rookie Harley Clifford, 2009 points-leader Aaron Rathy and Australian Tour Champ Dean Smith.

According to the WakeWorld.com article, "All four finalists went for broke to win the contest, including Aaron Rathy, who attempted a 1080, but was unable to stick the landing. Rathy's run earned him a third-place finish, with Phillip Soven taking the win and young gun Harley Clifford finishing in second."

"I'm happy with the way I rode today and it feels really good to come out with a win after not being on the podium for a while," said Soven. "A win is always a good way to go into the next the stop, so now I'm really looking forward to Reno."

Soven trains behind a Malibu Wakesetter VLX and we know he'll be hitting it hard this week getting ready for Reno. Congratulations Phillip and Good luck in Reno! We're pulling for you man!

After Phillip won he tweeted about his victory. "@PhillipSoven Finally got the big win I have needed PWT 4" Follow him on Twitter. While you're at it follow @MalibuBoats!

The 3rd Annual Pro Team Challenge wakeboard competition is returning to the Pacific Northwest. The three-part competition will feature some of the top pro riders in the world riding for their prospective board manufacturers, a chance to add their names to the Malibu Cup PTC trophy and bragging rights as the best team in wakeboarding for the next 12 months.

The Pro Team Challenge will take place on Sunday, August 2nd at the Bow Lake Watersports Complex in Bow, WA., just North of Seattle. At Bow Lake, riders will enjoy great water conditions in one of the top private water sports facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Currently three pro teams are scheduled to compete including two-time defending Champions, Team Hyperlite and Teams from CWB and Liquid Force, trying and de-throne the Champs.

The event kicks-off at 12noon with a wake skate competition, followed at 3pm by a traditional wakeboard boat competition, both run behind the tournament Malibu Competition Wakeboard boat. Saturday evening from 7p-10p, riders will compete in a high-energy rail jam “under-the-lights” on several new rails custom built for the competition.

Already scheduled to compete are Northwest resident rail-master Mikey Ennen, Canadian Kevin Henshaw, Bob Soven, JD Webb, Jacob Valdez and wakeskaters Brian Grubb, James Balzer with more to come. The event is sanctioned by the World Wakeboard Association (WWA) and will be filmed for national broadcast on several industry web sites including action sports leader, Fuel.tv and Alliancewake.com.

Tickets for the Pro Team Challenge are available for free at participating Malibu Boat Dealerships throughout the Northwest while supplies last. Tickets will also be available at the gate - $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children (12 and under).

WAKE JAM is Portland's premier festival of events, focusing around the renowned 1080 Double-Up Wakeboard Competition. The sport's best athletes will go head-to-head on the Willamette River competing for a purse of $10,000. Event-goers will also be able to enjoy the Freestyle Motocross Exhibition in Waterfront Park put on by some of the nation's best FMX riders, the Metal Mulisha. But it doesn't stop there. Live music all day on the Liquid Charge Main Stage, local exhibitors, food vendors and plenty of sponsor giveaways will keep the crowd energized. There is a $5 Suggested Donation at the door and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Childrens Cancer Associtaion.

Whether you come to watch Danny Harf land a never-before-seen trick or to see Justin Homan back flip his bike in the middle of downtown, WAKE JAM will have something for everyone. Listen to live music and DJ's while sampling food from the Northwest's finest eateries and enjoying a cool adult beverage. Be sure to get there early and bring the whole family as we have children's activities as well. There will be no shortage of things to do in this high-energy, high-flying, action-packed event. Soak it all in at WAKE JAM 2009.

Burgerville and WAKE JAM are proud to go green, as WAKE JAM is going "off the grid." The PurePowerD Mobile Solar Power System will be powering the main stage with no emissions, no noise and no oil. Burgerville, a local leader in sustainable business, is pleased to support this green alternative, the first effort of its type at Waterfront Park. An additional thanks to Joe Sheets and Pure Power Distributors for bringing this green green solution to Waterfront Park.

The world’s leading wakeboard event and Canada’s biggest action sports and music festival, Wakestock takes to the takes to the fresh, blue waters of Collingwood, the action sports capital of Ontario, Canada for it’s 12th annual edition!

Featuring an incredible band line-up: Social Distortion, Classified, Closet Monster, USS, The Midway State, Rebel Emergency, Fall and Divide, Stereos, plus more still to be announced!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

This is our favorite photo this month! We came across this pic on The Malibu Crew. It was posted by Brandon Griffith and taken by Tyler Palmer. The dog in the photo is Roxy and she is swimming towards the camera from Brandon's 2009 Wakesetter 23 LSV. You go Roxy!!

Other friends of Brandon's in the picture include, from left to right, Jordan Deal, Melissa Patty, Megan Ellis, and Tori Cardenas. This photo was taken on Lake Conroe in Conroe, Texas.

Thanks for posting this photo Brandon! We love it!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo let us know. We would love to post it here as well as on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter. E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Monday, July 13, 2009

According to WikipediaTwitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read each others' updates, known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters, displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to other users - known as followers - who have subscribed to them.

Here's a short instructional that will help you get started.

1. Go to www.twitter.com click on the green “get started button”. Set up an account by adding your name and email address and by choosing a user name and password, type in the encrypted code and hit “create my account” That’s it your in!

2. In general Twitter messages answer the question “what are you doing right now” But you can also post a link to a web site or just answer the question or ask a question etc.The character limited on a tweet (Twitter post)is 140 characters.

We received word yesterday that Dallas Friday took home gold at the WWA Wakeboard National Championships in Oklahoma. This win brought her U.S. national title total to six, more than any other wakeboarder male or female. Friday captured the top podium step by dominating a six-woman final. Nicola Butler captured second, while Amber Wing came in third. Read more about the WWA Wakeboard National results on WakeWorld.com.

But Friday did more than simply win the event and secure another national title. She also made history with a move never before landed by a Pro Female Wakeboarder in competition. Team Malibu's star woman rider landed an S-bend. This trick has an extremely high degree of difficulty. In order to complete the move a rider must spin 360 degrees in the air while inverted. There's a reason no other woman has landed in competition, it's really hard! Read about this history-making run on the Oklahoman web site.

The Malibu Pro Team Challenge is a multi-event contest featuring the top riding pros in the sport, all representing their perspective board manufacturers. Topping the board company guest list are Hyperlite, Liquid Force and CWB.

Wakeboarding, like many action sports, is usually an individual sport, not a team sport. The Malibu Pro Team Challenge is one-of-a-kind! Riders compete, and are judged, as a team. Not only does the winning team take home all the $$$, they also have bragging rights for the next 12 months as the best all around TEAM in wakeboarding.

The Malibu Pro Team Challenge includes three different events within the Team Challenge; a wakeskating event, a traditional Malibu boat-pulled wakeboard event and a winch powered pool-gap rail jam under the stadium lights at Bow Lake. These events will all feature the top professional riders in the sport competing for their respective board manufacturers, for pride and most importantly for money.

The Malibu Pro Tour Challenge will take place at the Bow Lake Watersports Complex just North of Seattle in Bellingham. It’s a first class facility and will draw spectators and wake enthusiasts from both Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada. Nestled in the scenic Skagit Valley at the gateway to the San Juan Islands, it's a beautiful site and will be a GREAT host facility for this event.

Christian's Tweet!I hate this delemma... A) study for the bar or B) take out the Malibu. Thanks @malibuboats for making this so hard. http://twitpic.com/9oozj

Turns out, Christian compromised. He took the boat out and studied between sets behind the Wakesetter 23 LSV. Here's a pic of the boat on the water. you are pretty smart, Christian. That Bar Exam will be no problem. Thanks for the Tweet!

Well today, Mitch's dad let us know that Mitch will be competing in the WWA National Tournament this week in the Jr. Boys division. He's still 8 years old. His run consists of a Tantrum and a Scarecrow as well as a Back roll and a Front roll of course.

This picture of Mitch was taken last week while he nailed a Scarecrow.

Keep up the great work Mitch! We're so proud of you! Good luck at Nationals!

Wakeboarding Mag posted this sweet little "Indy Canal Poach" story on their blog complete with killer pics and video. Red Bull dumped Team Malibu Pro Wakeskater Brian Grubb and JD Webb in the, never before ridden, Indianapolis Canal in Downtown Indy. The two were yanked around by a winch. They both threw some sick tricks that made for great video and pics. Check out the media and read more of this Wakeboarding Mag blog post.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Malibu Boats just received their 8th consecutive Boat of the Year Award from Powerboat Magazine for the 2009 Wakesetter VLX. Award winners were selected after the magazine's rigorous Performance Trials in Parker, Ariz., and Fort Myers, Fla. Thirty-two performance boats were evaluated independently by two teams. This year’s award represents Malibu Boats 19th Product Excellence Award from Powerboat Magazine, the most earned by any boat manufacturer.

Powerboat Magazine summed up their choice of the VLX as the 2009 Boat of the Year with this opening sentence, “If we tested a more complete product, across all classes, than the Malibu Boats Wakesetter VLX during our 2009 Performance Trials, we sure don’t remember it.” – Powerboat Magazine

This honor makes Malibu the only boat company in the history of Powerboat Magazine to have earned eight straight Boat of the Year awards. Paul Singer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Malibu Boats, was recently notified of the company’s 19th Powerboat Magazine Product Excellence award.

Since its inception, the pride Malibu Boats has taken in its products has netted recognition throughout the industry. All told, the company has accumulated 19 Boat of the Year Awards and 26 design and performance awards. Yet, Malibu’s restless spirit and motivation for perfection never stops.

Singer explains this phenomenon, "These awards are a great pat on the back for us, but as soon as the high fives are spent, we get right back at it. There are so many more innovations that our engineers are working to perfect. They are competitive by nature and these awards just push them to develop that next industry first."

The new 2009 Wakesetter VLX was delivered to the testers with, “… useful and imaginative features…” And according to Powerboat Magazine, “…performed beautifully…”

Aspects of the VLX testers were impressed with included the new MaliView Dash System with 6.5 LCD and video capability. This boat also featured the patented wake-making Power Wedge and customizable Rider Presets that work in conjunction with MaliView to accommodate different styles and levels of riding. In addition the uncompromising visibility of the forward-swept Illusion XS tower, handling and rough water ride excited the entire evaluation crew.

The affection the testers seem to share for the Malibu Wakesetter VLX was not based on cool functional features alone. They specifically point out the overall construction quality of the boat. “…Build quality for the Malibu Wakesetter VLX was outstanding.” – Powerboat Magazine

“The Malibu Wakesetter VLX is more than a modern, fully equipped wakeboard boat that does its job exceptionally well. It’s the product of a group of people—the construction and design team at Malibu—who never seem to be satisfied with what they’ve done in years’ past. Thank heaven.” – Powerboat Magazine

The Malibu Wakesetter VLX is profiled in Powerboat's special June issue.

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark Nov. 20, 1977 Team Malibu's June Fladborg now splits her time between Australia and Denmark training herself and others for professional level competition. June is a member of the Malibu Boats Professional Water Ski Team focusing on the high flying discipline of Extreme Jumping. When June is not conditioning herself and striving to lengthen her performances on the water she is counseling other professional athletes on diet as well as strength training, fitness and the mental aspects of winning.

"To make it to the top in the sport of water-skiing a big part of my life has been centered on my training and preparation for tournaments. I have spent a lot of time in physical and mental training." June wrote in an online bio. June went on to write, "...it has always been natural for me to keep my focus on nutrition since it has accompanied me with the results and performances I achieved."

June trains behind the World Record-breaking Malibu Response LXi now, but has been pulled by Malibu Boats for years. June's home training facilities include Vallensbaek, where EAME Team Championships will be held this year, and Hazelwood Ski Center in Lincoln, England. Discovered by Malibu Boats International Sale Manager, Bo Lassen, June has always showed an enormous amount of talent and promise. Bo saw it from the beginning. Now she is coming on even stronger. Bo and the rest of us at Malibu Boats believe the 2009 season is June's to win! Her competition results so far are proving that belief.

June also put in a great performance at the 50th US Masters. The pressure was on with a 160 feet to take the lead, she answered with a massive 172 foot jump. June captured the titles at Moomba Masters and the LA NightJam as well. She is already having a great season and this is just the beginning.

June's educational background is in Nutrition with a specialty in health and sports. She is a certified trainer in Denmark and is currently seeking the same certification in the US. June also continues her education in Australia, where she lives half the year, by taking courses in anatomy, physiology, chemistry in Copenhagen and Sports psychology.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Team Malibu Pro Slalom Skier Thomas Degasperi e-mailed us to let us know he was skiing for the camera the other day. But this shoot wasn't for Malibu Boats photographer Tom King or any other industry snapper for that matter. It was for Vogue Magazine, "The authority in style". Thomas posed for some chic water sports shots in Greece. Check out this photo album of the photo shoot on Thomas's facebook page.

Thanks for sharing Thomas. You maybe be too sexy for your shirt, but not for your Malibu boat. That Repsonse LXi still has you beat! Take care and let us know which issue we can find your shots in.

This is a Malibu Blog post from Team Malibu Australia Rider Jarrod Askew about his Junior Pro Men 4th-place finish at the Knoxville, TN Tour Stop. Jarrod is going to keep us posted on his progress on tour this summer. Follow Jarrod on Twitter and make his acquaintance on facebook or simply check out his blog. Whats Up Everyone! For the people that don’t know me, I am Jarrod Askew, 17 years old from Brisbane Australia. This past weekend I had the 3rd stop of the JNR Pro Wakeboard Tour, in Knoxville Tennessee. It was a great contest and a great turn out, water conditions were awesome all weekend and the whether was awesome! I was very excited to have made the Final in the Jnr Pro Men and ended up finishing 4th in the contest. I have just arrived back home in Orlando where I have 2 weeks to prepare for the 4th Tour stop in Lousiville, Kentucky. I will keep you updated and let you know how the 4th Tour stop pans out. RIDE HARD!

We wrote about Horton's Heroes picking-up their new Hero Edition 2009 Wakesetter VLX in late May. Yesterday we received some photos form Attila Tassi, founder of Horton's Heroes, showing the new boat doing its job on the water providing fun and relaxation to an injured serviceman.

Horton's Heroes was launched in 2004 by a private citizen [Attila Tassi] looking to make a difference in the lives of Marines, Soldiers, Navy Personnel and Airmen who have served and been wounded in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Incorporated on October 11, 2007, Horton's Heroes mission is to support injured service personnel undergoing therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital; to try to bring some sense of normalcy to their lives; to show these men and women that people do care.

Horton's Heroes provides a wide range of support. Currently, they provide tickets to sporting events such as the Washington Redskins and Capitals games. They also provide dinners as well as movie and concert tickets. They have funded trips to Las Vegas and sky-diving trips to Ocean City, Maryland. And now they are taking service personnel wakeboarding and tubing on the Potomac River behind their new 2009 Heroes Edition Wakesetter VLX.

Unfortunately, many of the Marines and Soldiers return from combat severely wounded. Providing these services helps them heal mentally and physically. As we obtain more funding and support, we will expand the support we provide to include other services such as legal and financial counseling.

For more information on Horton's Heroes e-mail the founder of the organization, Attila Tassi ahortonsheroes@aol.com, call 703-928-5516.

If you would like to make a donation, please send your contribution to Horton's Heroes c/o Attila Tassi, 43760 Trade Center Pl. Suite 165, Dulles VA 20166. Please make checks payable to Horton's Heroes. Your donations are tax deductible under section 501 (c) (3) of the internal revenue code and all monies raised directly benefit injured US Military Service Personnel.